VOLUNTEER NOTES
is published bi-monthly by the Volunteer
Council of the American Symphony Orchestra League,
the nonprofit service and educational organization dedicated to the
development of American symphony orchestras and to the cultural
vitality of the communities they serve.

There is great opportunity for the Volunteer
Council to serve as a resource for our volunteer
organizations. The 27 members of the Council are experienced
volunteer leaders representing orchestras of every level throughout North America. We hope you will find that
their years of experience can provide you with the tools needed to deal
with daily challenges and perspective on how volunteers fit into their
larger orchestra family.

We recognize that the 21st century presents many
challenges for volunteers. To meet these challenges, the Volunteer Council provides platforms for
leadership development, sharing ideas, and encouraging creativity.
Please send in your feedback to help us evaluate whether the
Council is meeting your needs.

We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities which
are listed below, and always available on the League’s website.

· Join us at the National Performing Arts Convention,
June 11-14, 2008 in Denver,
where the League’s annual Conference will join with other arts
organizations for this unique opportunity to learn and
network.

· Consider hosting a Regional Workshop in your area. Regional Workshops
are designed to assist volunteer organizations in the areas of
membership, marketing, fundraising, and leadership.

· Request a mentor. Former members of the Volunteer Council are available upon request
to provide guidance for your volunteer organization. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
to request a mentor today.

· Submit projects for inclusion in the 2007-2008 Gold Book Online. Share your success stories and be
considered for a Gold or Silver Award by submitting online

· Connect with current Council members. Each fall,
members of the Council contact volunteer presidents across the country
to learn about successes, discuss challenges, and determine the issues
you want addressed. If you do not receive a call or e-mail by October
15, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
.

· Share this newsletter with your board members by
forwarding Volunteer Notes. The Volunteer
Council is always available to help. A roster of the Volunteer Council members with their
geographic locations and email addresses can be found here. Please contact me or any Volunteer Council member at any time--we
would love to hear from you.

Penny Van Horn
(Chicago, IL)

Volunteer Council
President 2007-08

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CONFERENCE
NASHVILLE 2007

Volunteers
listen to a speech by composer Joan Tower at the Volunteer Networking
Luncheon.

RECORD NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS
ATTEND CONFERENCE

More
than two hundred orchestra volunteers attended the American Symphony
Orchestra League Conference in Nashville. In addition to
the popular Gold Award Presentations and the Silver Award Roundtable
discussions, three Volunteer Leadership programs were given. The
president and president-elect group discussed creative meetings, group
dynamics, and volunteer/staff relationships. Another session
featured activities that help determine how to create and implement a
vision for success. The third, an interactive presentation,
highlighted fiscal policies, budgets, taxes and fundraising. In
addition to the leadership programs, two networking meals allowed
volunteers to discuss their mutual challenges with peers. Those
who attended the networking luncheon enjoyed a dynamic speech by
composer Joan Tower.

The Conference opening ceremony was held in Ryman
Auditorium. What an experience to sit in the original pews of the
Grand Ole Opry and witness performances by the Curb Youth Orchestra as
well as Nashville fiddler Maddie Denton, who was featured in the HBO
special The
Music in Me. Marin Alsop, music director
designate of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, served as keynote
speaker.

The closing ceremony began with an original country-western
song titled You Can’t Call Me ASOL Anymore
to commemorate the League’s vote during the annual Conference
Luncheon to change its name to theLeague of American Orchestras.

It is not too early to start planning for the 2008 National
Performing Arts Convention in Denver on June 11–14, 2008. The
theme for this convention, which will combine the national conferences
of the League of American Orchestras, Chorus America, Dance/USA, Early
Music America, OPERA America and the Theatre Communications Group, is Taking
Action Together.

Audrey Baird is a past president of the Volunteer
Council and a 1996 recipient of the Gold Baton Award,
the highest honor given by the American Symphony Orchestra
League. Because Audrey feels so strongly that audience
development is a vital part of the future of all orchestras, she has
graciously sponsored an annual award to volunteer organizations that
develop programs or events to increase ticket sales.

The 2007 Audrey Baird Award was presented to The Volunteer
Committees for the Philadelphia Orchestra for their innovative project Pre-Concert
Backstage Picnic with the musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
This event brought people of all ages together to enjoy a concert while
simultaneously giving volunteers an opportunity to disseminate
information about programs offered by the Philadelphia Orchestra and its
Volunteer Committees.

For more information on this outstanding event, please visit
the Gold Book Online.

Lynne Nisoff
(Albany, NY)

Volunteer Council
Member

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ARTS
ADVOCACY

Arts Advocacy Chairman LaDonna Meinders

Why is arts advocacy so
important? For orchestra volunteers, it’s all about the
music. It’s about people joining as a community to attend
concerts and children having the opportunity to hear orchestral music
that will expand their minds.

As volunteers, we are committed to
keeping our orchestras playing. This is why we advocate for support,
why we write to Congress, and why we are constant advocates for live
orchestral music in our communities. There are hundreds of ways
to be an arts advocate--even giving a gift of concert tickets is a way
to support the orchestra and create new patrons.

Through advocacy, we can increase
awareness of orchestral music and preserve music education in our
communities. Music classes in schools and camps, children’s
concerts, and instrument instruction all help children succeed in life
while live concerts and youth orchestra performances create and sustain
pride in the community.

Arts advocacy is our privilege and our
responsibility. Keep reading Volunteer Notes for
things we can all do to keep music alive and well in our communities.
Thanks for all you do to promote and sustain orchestras in
America. For more information on advocacy, click here.

LaDonna
Meinders (Oklahoma City, OK)

Volunteer
Council Arts Advocacy Chairman

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CROSS-COUNTRY
EVENTS

Atlanta’s
day-long interactive musical open house for all ages

Symphony
Celebration, aMusical Open House, is being planned by the AtlantaSymphony Associates
(Georgia) for October 6, 2007. What is
the Symphony Celebration? It’s a big, noisy, hands-on, get
to know the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra day--an interactive musical open
house for all ages. Attendees can experience music-themed
demonstrations, workshops and exhibits. This event features five
venues where musical groups from the Atlanta Metropolitan area will
perform throughout the day. There is even a T-Shirt Design Contest!

Vanguard
– Albany Symphony, Inc. (NY) is getting in full swing to welcome
back all their members and bring enthusiasm to the group for a new,
fun-filled season of service to their orchestra. They will be
holding their annual Garden Party which is scheduled for September. A friend
of Vanguard will be opening her beautiful historic home and gardens for
the afternoon event. All current members are invited and
encouraged to bring a friend who might be interested in joining their
organization. The Garden Partyhas a two-fold
mission: to get their volunteers involved once again in all
the upcoming activities and to recruit new members!

The Jackson Symphony
League, which
supports the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, will be holding its Symphony Ball 2007 on September 29. Karen Flowers,
President of the League, reports that 300-400 attendees will enjoy the
event at the Jackson Country Club; it will include both silent and live
(with art) auctions. Themed Radio Days – a Salute to Swing, the Ball will offer several sponsorship levels
which will assist in reaching the goal of $120,000.

After 34 years of sponsoring a
Designer Show House, the Women’s Committee for the National
Symphony Orchestra (Washington, DC) has
decided to change course for their major fundraiser. October
25-28 2007 will be the dates for the first annual Celebrations,a four-day event which will feature 20
designer vignettes featuring holiday events such as birthdays,
Valentine’s Day, and Christmas. Also included will be
boutiques, lectures, floral and cooking demonstrations, and evening
parties.

Lynne Nisoff, (Albany, NY)

Volunteer
Council Member

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EMAIL
DISCUSSION GROUP

Use the League’s Volunteer email
discussion group to network with other volunteer leaders. Just sign up
and follow the discussions as they are emailed to you. Submit
questions about all areas of volunteering and get information from
other organizations and Volunteer Council
members. Click here for more information about this
service and a form to enroll. When selecting a discussion group,
be sure to select “Volunteers.”

The discussion group is just one of
the many services the Volunteer Council
provides. We hope you will take advantage of this useful
resource.

Sandra Weingarten (Brownsville, OR)

Email Discussion/Website Chairman

LET
US HEAR FROM YOU

VOLUNTEER NOTES
Chairman Janet Barb

The Volunteer Notes goal is to provide
relevant and useful information to volunteer organizations across the
United States and Canada. To better serve you, we would like to
know what topics would be most helpful. Please tell us if you
would like to read more skill-building topics, cross-country news,
successful projects, or other subjects. Your input is
important. As the Council editor of Volunteer Notes, I hope to
hear your suggestions soon; please email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
.